Spiritual Formation Schedule

The Ignatian spiritual formation program is designed to help students, faculty and staff harmonize head knowledge with heart knowledge; integrate academic understanding with their lived faith experience, deepening and enriching the experience of each, and informing the dialogue between study, prayer, and ministry. The program is grounded in scripture and offers many methods for praying with scripture, encountering the living Word of God, and discerning God's everlasting invitation to us as we journey on the path to holiness. Students who will serve as deacons, educators, administrators, and leaders in other ministerial capacities receive tools for sharing these prayer methods with their respective audiences.  

Fall 2020 

September 12	Lectio Divina	Through prayerful reading and discussion of selected scripture, students will deepen their understanding of encountering the Word of God through the prayer method of lectio divina.
September 26	Season of Creation	Through prayerful reading of selected scripture texts and Pope Francis' message for the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation, students will explore their own role in caring for creation.
October 17	Principle and Foundation	Through prayerful reading of selected scripture texts and various translations of St. Ignatius of Loyola's Principle and Foundation, students will examine their primary identity as a beloved child of God and how the interplay of their various secondary identities affects their relationships with God, self and others.
October 31	Saints & Our Call to Holiness	In preparation for All Saints Day, students will examine a few saints and look at how their prayer and their mottos reflect their interior attitudes as well as their lived expressions of their faith; explore a few examples of ordinary but holy men and women doing extraordinary things for God; and allow quiet time to reflect on how the saints, individually and as a communion, inspire us and accompany us today.
November 14	Examen	Students will learn how to pray St. Ignatius of Loyola's Examen or Prayer of Awareness as a way to be attentive to the presence and invitation of God in their daily life, to give God thanks for blessings, to seek forgiveness and healing, and to trust in God's accompaniment in the day to come.
November 28	Advent Gospel Contemplation	Through prayerful reading of a selected Advent Gospel pericope, students will learn how to pray with Gospel contemplation, entering into the scene with Jesus and encountering the Living Word of God, and talking with Jesus as a trusted friend.

Winter 2021

January 9	Graced History	Students will pray with selected scripture passages as an entry to reflecting on God's presence, activity and blessing in their lives.
January 16	Graced History	Students will pray with selected scripture passages as an entry to reflecting on God's presence, activity and blessing in their lives.
February 6	Voice of God	Students will learn how to discern God's voice in the Ignatian tradition, with scriptural examples of how God has spoken to others as models for our own attentiveness to God's calling.
February 20	The Name of God is Mercy	Through prayerful reading of selected scriptural passages and relevant excerpts from Pope Francis' book, The Name of God is Mercy, students will begin to explore how we can "be merciful as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36).
March 6	The Name of God is Mercy	Through prayerful reading of selected scriptural passages and relevant excerpts from Pope Francis' book, The Name of God is Mercy, students will begin to explore how we can "be merciful as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36).
March 27	Holy Week Contemplation	Through prayerful reading of a selected Holy Week Gospel pericope, students will learn how to pray with Gospel contemplation, entering into the scene with Jesus and encountering the Living Word of God, and talking with Jesus as a trusted friend.

Summer 1 2021

April 10	The Fire Within	Through prayerful reading and discussion of selected scripture and relevant texts, students will identify how our fundamental human need, our longing for intimacy, informs our daily decisions.
April 17	The Fire Within	Through prayerful reading and discussion of selected scripture and relevant texts, students will identify how our fundamental human need, our longing for intimacy, informs our daily decisions.
May 8	Amazon Synod	Through prayerful reading and discussion of selected scripture and Easter Season reflections on the Amazon Synod by participants, students will have an opportunity to synthesize the experiences of the synod with their own socio-cultural contexts.
May 29	Amazon Synod	Through prayerful reading and discussion of selected scripture and Easter Season reflections on the Amazon Synod by participants, students will have an opportunity to synthesize the experiences of the synod with their own socio-cultural contexts.
June 12	Year-end Examen	Students will have an opportunity to review prayerfully their year through God's eyes with the Prayer of Examen.
June 19	Year-end Examen	Students will have an opportunity to review prayerfully their year through God's eyes with the Prayer of Examen.